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Omaha man shares story of a tough, but successful battle with COVID-19

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OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — One Omaha man is back home after recovering from COVID-19. He was one of the early cases and hopes his story will inspire positive thinking if someone becomes sick. He says thanks to special treatment and the work of Nebraska Medicine, he's alive today.

"I went for my morning run, I ran for three miles that day, and I started having a little cough," said Karna Gurung.

That was back in late March, and a few days later, Gurung tested positive for COVID-19. He's not sure how he got it, but once he did, he feared the worst.

"I doubt(ed) myself, I might not live, so I wrote an email to my lawyer to make a will paper in my wife's name," said Gurung.

Gurung, who's diabetic, went to the hospital on April 14th, and soon after fell into a coma. When he awoke, his thinking that only a couple days had passed was way off.

"I look at the wall calendar, and I saw it was already the month of June, and then I realized I've been here a long time and very sick," said Gurung.

Gurung said he was treated with Remdesivir and went through a unique procedure where his blood was filtered, and because of that, he's able to share his story today.

"Nebraska Medicine has found the medicine for the Coronavirus, that's what I can say, and is the best hospital in the world," said Gurung.

After more than 40 days in the hospital, he's back home and has a new outlook on life.

"I survived, I got a new life, which was the best thing that ever happened in my life," said Gurung.

He encourages the public to wear a mask when out and about and to continue to practice social distancing.

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